Alan Goodban, beloved husband, father, grandfather and human being, died peacefully on Aug. 11 following trauma from a head injury suffered in a fall. Alan was born in Upland, and received a B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley (earlier in life, he dreamed of being a mathematician, but his chosen route was more practical). He joined the United States Marines in 1944 and was commissioned Lieutenant. Alan worked at the US Department of Agriculture as a research scientist and acting administrator for 35 years, during which he received six patents. He retired in 1979 in order to enjoy his many other interests. He traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, Alaska, and to Europe, Morocco, and South America, with Nadine, his beloved wife of 40 years. He was an avid and expert fly fisherman, an excellent golfer, with scores beating his age through his 80's, and a lifelong outdoorsman. He was generous with his time in community service and as a volunteer board member. He was loved and admired by all who knew him, for his kindness, patience, intelligence, wit, and breadth of knowledge on science, history, and other subjects. Alan and Nadine's love story is one that she will cherish forever. Other survivors include four loving daughters from his previous marriage (to Mary Jane Christian), Jean (Randy) Bjerke, Nancy (Kenji Hakuta) Goodban, Sue Goodban, and Janet Goodban; and two devoted grandchildren, Sachiko Hakuta and Luis Hakuta. He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Olive Goodban; his sister, Doris, and his brother, Dale. A Celebration of Life was at Aug. 23 at 1:30 p.m., at Congregation B'Nai Israel, 1256 Nebraska St., Vallejo. The service was followed by a potluck reception. About two hundred people came to memorial service. Donations in Alan's memory can be made to Congregation B'Nai Israel or Hadassah at http://www.bnaisrael.com/donate.html

​My parents Walter and Shirley Bogner met in Upstate New York, one summer, when they were children. They reconnected as teenagers and began dating. They got engaged before my father enlisted in the military during the second World War, they married upon his return. They came to California with their two children for a vacation to visit a childhood friend that had moved here. They liked California so my father looked for and found a job in Vallejo and they stayed. They join the temple in Vallejo and were very active , bought a house and had two more children. My father worked and also started his own business. My mother worked after the children were old enough to look after themselves , eventually she started her own business too. Some of their children had children and they eventually became grandparents and great-grandparents. They had all their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren around them. They were wonderful people and lived a long and happy life together.They were born in the 1920s and died in 2014.

Philip EdelmanJune 19, 1920 - January 16, 2014The Sages say when one righteous person leaves a congregation, it takes two to replace him/her.This month we lost one of our esteemed Elders, Phil Edelman. In this case, Phil is irreplaceable. At Sabbath services he usually sat in the third row, center aisle seat. Now, whenever I look at that spot, I will think of Phil. At Friday night services he would come to the Bima and, with a cup of wine in his hand, lead the Kiddush blessing. At the Saturday morning service, when I would ask for volunteers to do an Aliyah, Phil was the first to raise his hand. He would say, "I'm there for you if you need me, Fred." I was honored to have Phil come up for an Aliyah at my grandson's Bar Mitzvah. Years ago, the Edelman family donated a new American flag to Congregation B'nai Israel. Phil's grandson, wearing his Boy Scout uniform, marched down the aisle of the Sanctuary and placed the flag on the Bima. It is there today, opposite the Israeli flag. Another reminder of the impact the Edelman family has had on Congregation B'nai Israel. After Services, at the Oneg, Phil loved to talk about his family. We got weekly updates on the children and grandchildren. He was so proud of their accomplishments. Phil used to say he had three families; his family, his Military family and his B'nai Israel family. We miss him.

Dec. 31, 1951 - March 19, 2013 Fahny Voaknin Pierce, 61, taught Hebrew to hundreds of Solano and Napa County students who completed their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs at Vallejo's Congregation B'nai Israel, Napa's Congregation Beth Shalom, and other Bay Area Synagogues. Since her arrival in America from Israel in 1979, Fahny was an active member of the Vallejo Temple where she also taught Sunday school and generously shared her love of Israeli dance, culture and food. Her love of family and children the world over led her to support many youth-related activities, particularly Israel's Ahava Village for children and youth. Born Dec. 31, 1951 in Casablanca, Morocco and raised in Haifa, Israel, Fahny's 10-year struggle with breast cancer ended peacefully March 19, surrounded by her loving husband, Ralph; children, Steven and Angelic and her grandson Amari. Fany is also survived by her nephew, Yaniv Okhayon; mother, Rena Voaknin; six siblings and many nieces and nephews in Israel, as well as extended family in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her father, Avraham Voaknin and several siblings preceded her in death. A Celebration of her Life will take place at 1:00p.m. on Sunday, April 14, 2013 at Congregation B'nai Israel, Vallejo, CA . Donations can be made to Ahava Village, c/o Congregation B'Nai Israel, 1256 Nebraska St., Vallejo 94590